The federal government has been criticised for abandoning laws targeting disinformation on social media, with a Nobel Peace Prize laureate labelling the backdown a mistake.
Maria Ressa used a keynote speech in Canberra on Monday to call for better regulation of big tech companies, dubbing them one of the greatest threats to democracy.
Social media and generative artificial intelligence gave authoritarian leaders the power to create media distrust, and control narratives with lies, Ms Ressa said.
"The greatest threat we face today isn't any individual leader or one government," the Filipino-American journalist told the National Press Club.
"It's the technology that's amplifying authoritarian tactics worldwide."
Australia was sitting at a critical juncture to protect its own democracy, and must regulate online platforms, Ms Ressa said, criticising abandoned attempts to tackle disinformation.
In 2024, the federal government scrapped a bill forcing social media companies to police misinformation after failing to get support for it to pass through the Senate.
The laws would grant the communications watchdog powers to remove certain speech on social media deemed to be disinformation.
Former opposition leader Peter Dutton labelled the laws a "dangerous" attempt to censor free speech, while the Greens and other coalition members voiced concerns.
Ms Ressa said abandoning the laws was a "mistake" - one that countries were never aware of until attacked.
"The human rights we deserve in the physical world, we deserve in the virtual world," she said.
"Platforms that profit from lies must be held accountable for the democratic damage they cause to users of all ages."
The 61-year-old was awarded a 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for her reporting of the regime of former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte, who is now in the custody of the International Criminal Court for charges of crimes against humanity.
"What happened in the Philippines under Duterte is a template that's exported globally," she said.
"I'm deeply concerned about similar patterns emerging in democracies all around the world, including here."
She pointed to US President Donald Trump's billion-dollar lawsuits against American media, threats to revoke broadcast licences and denying journalists access to the White House.
Australia's world-first social media ban on children younger than 16 using social media platforms including Facebook, TikTok and YouTube is set to come into effect in December.
Ms Ressa welcomed the ban, and says the platforms must be treated like alcohol so they are accountable for underage users.
"There's a place for social media but there is not a place for predatory algorithms targeting children," she said.
Ms Ressa also urged the Australian government to strengthen press protections and invest in truth.
"Just as governments invest in roads, bridges and power grids, they must invest in the information infrastructure that democracy requires," she said.
